Q13TYU
Question
The rattlesnake alerts enemies to its presence with a rattle—a
set of modified scales at the tip of its tail. Describe the distinct roles of gated ion channels in initiating and moving a signal along the nerve from the snake’s head to its tail and then from that nerve to the muscle that shakes the rattle.
Step-by-Step Solution
VerifiedRattlesnakes shake through the transmission of neurotransmitters in their body. These neurotransmitters activate the gated channel that transmits signals and initiates the movement of signals in them.
Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that belong to the family Viperidae and kingdom Animalia. Their venom consists of a mixture of hemotoxins (targets blood and tissue of host) and neurotoxins (targets the host's nervous system). They are cold-blooded organisms.
When snakes sense danger, neurotransmitters are released by neurons in their body. These neurotransmitters trigger the gated channels to perform their action. A gated channel activates and sends a signal from head to tail in the body. This signal motor function (shaking of rattle) of the snake.
When stimulus enters the snake's body, the concentration of the ions across the neuron membrane changes, resulting in the transmission of neurotransmitters that bind to their gated channels (receptors).
The activation of the gated channel sends the signal (from head to tail) in the snake's body and rattle their tail.